Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Imagine a Creative Dance Title Here!

Hey Sisters (and honorary sisters…and brothers?)! I’m happy to have you all visiting this week, but I have to warn you: I got home tonight around 11:30 from a YL girl night to see “My Sister’s Keeper”. Great movie, but all the weeping combined with the late hour has wiped out any trace of wit I may have previously had. But dance waits for no man- 7 couples remain- it’s time!

Guest judge tonight is Mia Michaels! I’m torn here, because I love her as a judge, but I’m pretty sure this means we won’t see any of her choreography tonight. Kind of a double-edged sword (later she’ll use the same phrase to describe “prop dances”. We are kindred spirits.)

Before we get going, Cat lures us in with a promis of a special announcement later- $5 dance bucks says it’s about season six. Time will tell.

For each of the couples, they recap the last three weeks. For real- are people just now tuning in? Bor-ing. I miss the weird, forced, slightly disturbing “secrets” they usually tell. Without these segments, we’re going to have a hard time hitting our creepiness quotient for the week. More importantly though- they don’t show the couple picking a “random” dance out of the hat anymore (come to think of it, not sure they’ve done that at all this season…). Something smells fishy here- I’m starting to think this competition is a little bit more shall we say “organized” than we may have thought. Keep an eye out tonight….

And we’re off:

Jeanette & Brandon

Dance: Cha Cha Cha

Choreographers: Jean Marc and France Genereux

Song: Hush Hush; Hush Hush The Pussycat Dolls

Need something spicy and sassy. Their practice is a mess but I feel like Jeanette is going to rock this- she’s a Cuban from Miami….this is right in her sexy wheelhouse. The dance is indeed fun and sassy, but I have to ask- does Brandon ever wear sleeves? Maybe he rips them off every time he invites someone to the gun show? Nigel proclaims it the best cha cha he has ever seen on this show. Evah. EV-AH. And then it’s Mary’s turn- Oh no…the train is coming….they get first class tickets to the Hot Tamale Train! Yes they do! WhooHoo!!!! (She has somehow combined all of her craziness into one comment. Bravo!)

Kayla & Kupono

Dance: Contemporary

Choreographer: Sonya Tayeh

Song: Eyes on Fire by Blue Foundation

Dance’s theme is Kupono trying to pull Kayla towards death- perhaps foreshadowing of him sucking her into the bottom three? Just a thought. Love watching Kayla dance-She totally got the quirkiness of the choreography, but still was so elegant. Nigel solidified his place in my heart, when he mocked Mary during her critique- “Yes they are! Yes they ARE!” They stay on the Hot Tamale train- it’s getting crowded- and sweaty. Mia loves the costuming and makeup. Should we trust a person who wears a Renaissance ruffle collar with a feather brooch? I say YES. And side note: Does anyone else think Mia and Sonya might make out a little bit after the show? Just wondering….

Randi & Evan

Dance: Broadway

Choreographer: Joey Dowling

Song: Rich Man's Frug from Sweet Charity

Second “coincidental” choreography choice of the night. Evan gets Broadway. That’s like challenging a dog to bark. They are one of my favorite couples- Randi’s like a little unitard clad cabbage patch doll. How tall is Joey though? She makes the dancers look like Oompa loompas. (the answer, apparently, is 6ft. Is Mia perhaps cheating on Sonya with this tall drink of water?) The song sounds like something out of Austin Powers and the dance is apparently meant as an homage to Bob Fosse, strange combination- but it worked overall. Mary mentions that each week the couples get 5 1/2 hours to learn the dance….impressive.

Caitlin & Jason

Dance: Pop Jazz

Choreographer: Brian Friedman

Song: Creator by Santigold

Concept here is a female alien that blew up earth- then comes to procreate with the last man on earth. Brian says Caitlin is going to impregnate Jason…I’m a little scared. Costumes are totally bizarre, Nigel reads my mind when he says “dancing condom” (though I believe it might also be described as a mash up of Godzilla, the tin man and a bike tire.) Very strange.

Jeanine & Phillip

Dance: Hip Hop

Choreographers: Tabither (as Cat would say) and Napoleon, or as Nigel says-NappyTab?? Or as Mia refers to them: Nap and Tabs.

Song: Love Lockdown, by Kanye West (note: I went through a phase where I listened to this song everyday…that plus NapTab guarantees I will love this no matter what)

Conspiracy theory continues here….our only hip hop dancer randomly gets his own style twice? Things that make you go hmmmmm. They’re dancing with a chain, which makes Nap nervous- and he’s not alone. I was pretty sure someone was going to break an ankle. (and I was even more sure Jeanine was going to break out of her top…) Truthfully though, Jeanine may not always be the best dancer- but I think she’s one of the best performers in the bunch (and not just because of her cleavage).

Melissa & Ade

Dance: pas de duex

Choreographer: Thordal Christensen

Song: Prokofiev’s Suite, from Romeo and Juliet

For real- this show is rigged. The ballet dancer gets a pas de duex…from Romeo and Juliet? I mean really. Why don’t you just give her The Nutcracker Suite? Come on. Nothing really to say here. I’m sure it was great, but it’s not really my thing. We’ll wait for Renee to weigh in. Nigel gives yet another pat on the back for the (his) show (as he does pretty much every week)- but he’s right about the range of dancing they show- there’s something for everyone!

Ok, one final couple- wait, no! It’s Announcement Time:

Carrie Ann Inaba, Nigel Lythgoe, Adam Shankman and Katie Holmes (yes, you read that correctly) have started a foundation called the Dizzy Feet Foundation. The goal is to expose underprivileged kids to the world of dance, and to search for and build new talent by giving kids scholarships. But wait- there’s more- Surprise Time!! Katie Homes will be performing on the show July 23rd (the 100th episode- who knew?!) Very interesting….(and for those of you who bet me earlier- congrats, I owe you 5 dance bucks. Redeemable for...very long recaps?)

Alright, we’ve made it- the final number:

Carla & Vitolio

Dance: Quick Step

Choreographers: Jean marc and France Genereux

Song: Puttin’ on the Ritz, by Rufus Wainwright

In a move that surprises no one, they’ve give the only new couple (made up of the two least popular dancers) what could arguably be called the hardest dance style on the show. Dance starts off cute- and then-Holy crap she just changed her dress on stage!! Reminds me ofthe quick change artists from America’s Got Talent. That’s pretty much the highlight here.

So there you have it. Another masterfully designed edition of the competition.

My prediction for the bottom three is tough this week, because no one really had a terrible time- but here goes:

Caitlin and Jason- their dance may have been just a bit too odd. Oh, and Jason is really boring. So there.

Carla and Vitolio- they’ve had a rough run, both have been in the bottom three multiple times. Their dance was good, but maybe not good enough to win them new fans.

Melissa and Ade- not because it wasn’t great…just because it might have been a little bit slow for the main demographic of SYTYCD (alright…me.)

Your thoughts? And question: after all this discussion- do any of you actually vote? I just can’t get motivated to pick up the phone for these people. I keep waiting to catch the fever…..but nope. But stop back tomorrow. I’m taking the recap show on the road to my mom’s house (holla Cbus!) so we might have some fresh insight to share.

6 comments
:

okay, i loved the show... energizing and filled with good dance and a hot pink pockety dress on Cat to boot.

soooooooooooooooo happy to see Mia in the judges chair. i needed some reprieve from Ms. Basil last week.

I never really thought about how some of the dancers seem to luckily get certain styles of dance, Courtney, so thanks for pointing out that interesting part.They have shown them pulling names of styles out of the hat this season, I do recall that and wish they'd show it more.

Favorites tonight were Kayla and Kupono (okay, I love them together and I'm glad he's still here, he won me over tonight with that little number!), Jeanette and Brandon rocked the cha cha. And I love Jeanine, love her. She's up there in my top 3 females on the show. So, I liked seeing her number and I love me some NappyTabs or whatever they're going by these days.

I'm putting the alien in the bottom 3 along with Jason and Kaitlyn (he's a good dancer, but just not BRINGING IT for me) and Vitolio and Carla- which aren't working out in my couples book.

ps Liked Melissa and Ade's dance. I love ballet and it was great fun to see some en pointe on the show. It was very simple though. WOuld have liked to see more romance...

Great job, Courtney! None of your wit or sass was lost to the cinema or late hour!

Jason is sooo NOT boring! I love him....in an appropriate he's-on-t.v-so-I-don't-love-him-in-real-life kinda way. But I HATED (don't let my kids see that) Caitlin's outfit. Yikes! Terrible. Jay (my hubby) made a good point that even with the strange choreography and story, she could have really been vixen like and sexy instead of weird and latexy.

LOVED the ballet number. I hope Renee does too! I thought it was so cool to see what real ballet looks like!

One last thing....I think Karla ruined my fascination and wonderment for quick change artists. Is that really how they do that? I seriously never knew that and now it's ruined. See? This is why I don't like magic.

One really last thing. I think Mia and Sonja would be way too artsy with each other and somehow artistically insult the other before they would ever make out. Then they would refuse to work together and the show would be canceled. Am I right?

Couple things: 1: Blogger formatting I hate you. Hate.2: Maybe I was a little hard on the ballet. I think I just have bad childhood flashbacks of having to wear a plain plain plain black leotard and tights while I stand at the barre, when all I wanted to do was prance around in sequins. It's just a personal struggle I guess!3: Crafy- I read the book a few years ago, but I didn't exactly remember all of it- PLUS I heard the movie is very different, so it might not matter. I was glad I didn't have the book fresh in my mind b/c I might have been disappointed. Also- though it is touching, it's also a little confusing b/c it's told through multiple POVs and flashbacks. The book is that way too, but somehow makes more sense.4: Forgot to mention that at the movies last night I saw the preview to FAME with Kherington. Looks so good.

usually i'm up at 11:30pm, commenting on the post right away -got a late start today. great job courtney and you did a great witty job, despite the late night tear shedding. i want to see that movie, but i'm afraid i'll just cry too much :)so didn't know kherington was in FAME - fun!!!! i love how there are more and more dance movies coming out. yay for the arts!LOVE the concept of the dizzy feet fountation. love love love. dance is so expensive and there is so much talent out there... the underpriveleged don't have a chance to be formally trained and i love that this show along with other famous dancers/choreographers are helping to make a difference for the "first to go" arts programs and the kids that will benefit from this. as a side note, so curious to see katie holmes perform!ok, back to the dancers. about the ballet - i will always love me some ballet. that was very straight up classical stuff that melissa and Ade' did. while i love to watch more of the contemporary styles, the beauty of the classical ballet will forever make me lean my cheek on my hand and sigh... :) melissa was gorgeous, and i agree with the judges that Ade' did amazing with his carriage and the way he he supported/lifted her. not being a classical dancer, he did really really well. mostly i watched her though and those legs that go on forever. so, while it wasn't as exciting as the other numbers, for me, i loved seeing it on the show and "fixed" or not, it was cool to see. it actually seemed a little short... glad it didn't go on forever or else it would have out-warmed it's welcome!brandon and jeanette were AWESOME. loved that cha-cha! loved kayla and kupono as well. kupono falls in the middle for me - he's not my fav, but not my least fav. but he did a really good job with that one and seems to do sonya and wade's stuff really well. i want to see him do something of mia's! this is getting too long, so i'll end with my bottom 3:caitlin and jasonphilip and jeaninekarla and vitolio- a chance randi and evan could be in the bottom 3, but i hope not. i actually enjoyed watching them more than philip and jeanine, but maybe b/c they are just so likeable to me and i really enjoyed their broadway routine!

I just finished watching this morning, I started to feel like I was coming down with a soar throat/cold last night and couldn't make it the whole way through. Overall I really liked the dances. My faves were Randi and Evan, Kayla & Kupono (yay for Crafty being won over), Jeanine and Brandon and while it wasn't as dynamic as the others, I did love the ballet with Melissa and Ade. I really enjoyed seeing her do point work (is it pointe?) even though it definitely seemed a bit too convenient. Vitolio and Karla getting the quickstep? I thought the same as Courtney (I think she wrote this, I've had the comment screen up for awhile) - easy way to get rid of them, but the actually did really well.

I think I like Randi and Evan's routine more than the judges, I liked the music/costumes/stage a ton.

Bottom 3 - Karla VitolioCaitlin and Jason (agree with Court, he is boring. Great dancer on his own but doesn't bring that extra oomph to his routines)A toss up - Philip and Jeanine or a surprise with one of the other front runners?

This year is all about the choreographer. Mia had it when she said the choreographer can make or break you. I hope the judges continue to call out the choreographer when they don't think they did a good job for the dancers. They need to challenge them yes, and do something different and interesting, but also play to their strengths and to the audience. I thought the alien routine could have been better without the over the top alien outfit. Also anyone else loving Jean-Marc and his wife this year? I think she's been given more air time than before - I love them together!

Ok, that's all- my not totally withit ramblings must end at some point...

crafty, good job on the "en pointe" words! yuppers megs, it's "pointe" but when someone is dancing on pointe, it's technically correct to say "en pointe." also, to back to the ballet, pas da duex just basically means a pair dancing - so it could have been on flat (meaning not en pointe), meaning anyone could have done the romeo and juliet... but yeah, it does seem interesting how things may be "fixed."and yes, LOVE jean-marc! although his wife is in some major need of concealer (??) hehe :) they are so adorable though and i love jean-marc's humor!

I’m Courtney- a loud-talking, big-dreaming kind of a girl with a creative streak I can't turn off, a wholly imperfect love for Jesus, and an overwhelming passion for authenticity. I'm superpumped you're here.